US confirms 'communication channels' still open with Russia amid Ukraine war crisis

In a recent development, US national security advisor Jake Sullivan has confirmed that the channels of communication between Washington and Moscow are functional. The news came days after the White House brushed off the reports that Russia and Sullivan were in talks in order to avoid a nuclear escalation in the war-hit country of Ukraine.

According to the Wall Street Journal, over the past few months, the US National Security Advisor has been a part of confidential discussions with Russian Security Council secretary Nikolai Patrushev, and senior Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov.

Jake Sullivan, during a session in New York, said that it is "in the interests" of the United States to remain in talks with the Kremlin. However, the US national security adviser emphasised that the officials were "clear-eyed about, who we are dealing with".


Meanwhile, if senior officials are to be believed, during the confidential discussions, all the officials talked over the different courses of action in order to avoid the risk of nuclear escalation in Ukraine. However, the officials did not dive into any discussion on how to end the conflict.



Back in the month of October, Sullivan said that Russia will have to bear catastrophic consequences if the use of nuclear weapons takes place. However, the US National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson denied the entire story. She further told the paper that "people claim a lot of things". On the other hand, Dmitry Peskov, who is the spokesperson of the Kremlin, blamed the Western newspaper for "publishing numerous hoaxes".

However, on Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that the United States retains all the rights to remain in conversation with Russia. Further, Sullivan, who is a senior advisor of US President Joe Biden is still paving a path for further discussion with Russia. The US National Security Advisor said that conducting talks with Moscow was in the "interests of every country, who is affected by this conflict".

FAQs:

1. Why did Russia invade Ukraine?
   The main aim of Russia to invade Ukraine was the "demilitarization" and "denazification" of Ukraine. In the early morning of February 24, 2022, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" and with that, the invasion of Russia in Ukraine started.
2. What was the matter of discussion between the US National Security Advisor, Russian Security Council secretary and Kremlin foreign policy aide?
   As the US confirms the communication channel between Washington and Moscow is still open, all three senior officials discussed ways to avoid the risk of nuclear escalation in the war-hit country of Ukraine.